Social Studies

At Village Glen High School, the social studies curriculum presents important trends in the historical, political, economic, and social development of the world. Students are encouraged to question and make connections between the facts and ideas surrounding these trends. Methodologies include lecture, discussion, research, essays, and film. As a general rule, students are placed in history courses by grade level.

Course Descriptions:

World History, Grade 10, 1 year history credit
This is a yearlong course that covers the themes of power and authority, religious and ethical systems, revolution, interaction with the environment,economics, cultural interaction, empire building, science and technology. The course covers the beginnings of the modern world, absolutism in Europe, The French Revolution,The Industrial Revolution, Imperialism, WWI, WWII, and the postwar world.

United States History, Grade 11, 1 year of history credit
Students study, discuss, and debate central issues in United States history between the 17th and 21st centuries. Students examine the main features of the American experience: the nature of colonial life, the reasons for the revolutionary break from England, the constitutional system, the development of democracy and capitalism, reform movements and the Civil War, the impact of the frontier, the changing nature of business and government, the changing role of the United States as a world power, and the struggle to achieve class, ethnic, racial, and gender equality.

United States Government, Grade 12, 1 semester of history credit
The course focuses on the structure, functions, and powers of government at the national, state, and local levels. Students interpret the U.S. Constitution and analyze the three branches of our federal system. The course examines the major historical and philosophical influences contained in the Constitution and discusses the role of government at the international, national, state, and local levels.

Economics, Grade 12, 1 semester of history credit
This course studies the law of supply and demand, forms of business, labor unions, government finances and influence on the economy, money and prices, and inflation and deflation cycles. The course also relates history and politics to the study of economics.

Geography, 1 semester elective credit or 1 semester geography credit
The purpose of this course is to study physical geography, including the concept of the relationship of the physical environment to human culture. The course includes cultural and economic geography and geopolitics. Regional studies may include any or all of the following: Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Oceania. This course also stresses demography, ecology, units on natural and human resources, and continues to develop basic social science skills.

Sociology, 10 creditsSociology is the study of group behavior and basic human institutions, including moral values, traditions, folkways, mobility, and other factors. In looking at the institutions found in all societies, this course may explore: (1) family, (2) religion, (3) community organizations, (4) political and social groups, and (5) leisure time organizations.